Manchester Charity Fashion Show looks for models

If you’ve ever wanted to get into fashion, do something for charity, or even just fancy yourself as the next Kendall Jenner, we’ve got the opportunity for you.

The Manchester Charity Fashion Show, a local student-run charity initiative, is hosting two casting days for prospective amateur and professional models of all genders, sizes, and shapes to help raise money for Manchester-based homeless charity Lifeshare.

The casting days will be on the 8th and 10th February at University of Manchester Students’ Union Building on Oxford Road between 12pm and 3pm. The Manchester Charity Fashion Show aims to celebrate Manchester’s diverse culture and, in line with this, they wish to highlight that the model casting is entirely body positive and inclusive; potential models will be judged on their confidence, stage presence, and style.

They’re looking to encourage students and young people from all degrees, departments, and universities, as well as those from diverse backgrounds to take part, so why not give it a shot?

Vice-Chair Martha Bolton said “inclusivity is incredibly important to us. We want to promote positive body image over the outdated and frankly unhealthy traditional catwalk standards. At the end of the day we’re here to have fun and raise money, the measurements of our models are irrelevant.”

The fashion show will be take place in March, in collaboration with Fuse FM. As part of the show, featuring models chosen at the casting, Fuse DJs will also be playing some of their best tunes. In the preceding and succeeding weeks, other events will also take place, all aiming to fundraise for Lifeshare and promote involvement and awareness in the local community about the issue of homelessness and its related vulnerabilities.

Lifeshare is a voluntary organisation which works to help meet the needs of homeless and vulnerable people in Manchester and Salford. By offering practical assistance, support, and information to those in need, Lifeshare hopes to “identify street homelessness and offer assistance in obtaining emergency accommodation, alleviate aspects of poverty and hardship through the redistribution of resources, and to assist people to access Primary Health Care and promote health and harm reduction”.

Martha added: “The number of rough sleepers in Manchester has grown exponentially over the past few years. The support offered by Lifeshare and similar charities is particularly invaluable, as their hands on approach can directly improve the lives of the homeless. We want to raise as much as possible to support their cause.”